Maybe Baby Lite (14 page)

He could be so playful at
times and I liked it. I felt safer with Trey in the cottage while I
showered. I knew that I'd not left my cottage unlocked or interior
lights on when I left for the racetrack. I realized that a couple
of people had probably been in and out the last week while I was in
the hospital getting this or that for me. I wondered how many extra
keys to this cottage were floating around.

Once bathed, I toweled off
and put on the nightie Trey had given me. A fair compromise, I
figured. I went from the bathroom into the bedroom, turning on the
window A/C to cool the room. I'd made my bed up with fresh sheets
from the laundry before I left for the race. As I folded the quilt
back my stomach lurched—there was no doubt that someone had been in
my cottage. I screamed.

Trey was instantly by my
side. “What is it Tylar?” he demanded, spinning me around to face
him.

“
On the bed,” I choked,
pointing.

He turned to look and
picked up the two blue velvet boxes, opening one that contained a
pair of pearl drop earrings, and the other one that held a gold
necklace with a single tear-drop pearl pendant.

“
I don’t understand,” he
turned to look at me, a puzzled expression on his face. “This
jewelry's not yours?”

I shook my head, but my
response didn’t match. “They were mine,” I explained. “My mom gave
them to me the night of my high school prom. She said that they had
been the only gifts that my dad had ever given her. She said she
wanted me to have them.”

“
Go on,” Trey
encouraged.

“
I wore them that night to
the prom with my boyfriend, Daniel.” I noticed Trey’s head snap up
when I mentioned Daniel’s name. “I don’t remember a lot about that
night because I got drunk. Daniel took me home and carried me into
my house. I never saw the necklace or earrings after that. I was
afraid to tell Mom that I'd lost them at least that's what I
thought had happened up until now. These are even the same velvet
boxes she had them in when she gave them to me.”

“
This makes no sense to
me,” Trey said. “I mean I understand about prom parties, getting
drunk, and losing things, but are you sure that these might not
have been stowed away? Maybe in that trunk over there that’s
hanging open?” He pointed to the trunk I'd sorted through earlier
for my riding clothes.

“
Well even if that were
true,” I argued, “how would they have ended up under the quilt and
not just on top of the bed? Trust me I know these were not in the
trunk.” I grew more upset.

Trey sat down on my bed
and pulled me down next to him. I knew that he wanted to provide a
reasonable explanation for the appearance of the jewelry boxes from
my past. He wanted me to consider all of the possibilities. I knew
that there was only one. “Tylar are you absolutely sure that there
is no other way the jewelry could have gotten in your cottage than
by someone other than you?” his eyes searched mine.

“
I can’t be sure of
anything these days, Trey. I feel like I'm going crazy. It scares
me.” In two seconds I was enfolded in his strong arms, feeling his
warmth around me, keeping me safe. “Trey?” I asked shakily. “Will
you please stay here tonight?”

“
You know that I will
Tylar.”

Relief flooded over me. I
knew that I could sleep if he was nearby. He continued, “Tomorrow
morning I'm having the locks on your cottage re-keyed.”

He'd get no argument from
me on that score. Trey put me into bed, tucking me inside the
covers, and gave me a peck on the cheek. That wasn't going to get
it for me.

“
Trey,” I looked up at
him, smiling meekly, “aren’t you coming to bed too?” He looked
uncomfortable. Perhaps he thought I was being forward
again.

“
Tylar,” he replied
earnestly, “It'd be better if I crashed out on your
couch.”

Oh, I got it. He felt
pressured because of what I'd said earlier. He didn’t trust
me.

“
Good night,” I said to
him. “There are blankets and an extra pillow in the
closet.”

He pulled the bedding down
from the top shelf, turned out my overhead light, and closed the
door softly behind him. I heard the low voices from the television
and Trey trying to settle in on the couch for the night. He wasn’t
going to be too comfortable on that couch, I realized. It was made
for a shorter person. A smile formed on my lips as I drifted off to
sleep.

A thunderstorm blew in
during the night. I heard the loud clapping of thunder, and heavy
rain pelting the cottage from all directions. It appeared that the
electricity had gone out because my A/C unit sat silent and my
digital alarm clock was dark. I could only see flashes of lightning
outside the bedroom window. Loud thunderous clapping followed
within seconds of each flash.

I was scared and I wasn't
sure why. Thunderstorms had never been a particular fear of mine
before. I crawled tentatively out from beneath my covers, trying to
adjust my eyes to the dark. The only light to guide me was the
sporadic flash of lightning that came through the bedroom window.
It was enough. I was going out into the living room to climb on
that couch with Trey. I didn’t give a damn how much he protested. I
did not want to be alone during this storm. I needed his strong
arms around me. I felt around for my bathrobe that had been lying
across the bed. I found it and shrugged it on. The next flash of
lightning guided me toward the door.

I felt my way through the
kitchenette, groping cautiously into the living room. Another flash
of lightning served to illuminate the room. The couch was empty. No
blanket, no pillow, no Trey. What the hell? I hurried to open the
front door. I peered out from behind the screen door to see if
perhaps he was out on my porch. Nothing there either.

I noticed that the other
cottages still had electricity. I could see their porch lights
illuminated. Where had Trey gone? Why had he left me alone in this
darkened cottage? I wasn't going to stay in this cottage by myself,
not with this storm raging all around me. I tied my robe tighter
with the belt, and felt for my flip flops just inside the door. I
slipped them on and went out onto the porch.

The storm was raging full
force. I knew it wasn't safe to be outside in an electrical storm.
I couldn't figure out why all the other cottages had power except
for mine. I had a sick feeling that my power lines had been cut.
Who would do that? I could see down over the hill to the horse
barn. It was fairly well lit. Maybe Trey'd been called down to the
barn for some type of an emergency. Maybe something was going on
with one of the horses. I needed to find him.

I ran from the porch into
the pelting wind and rain. Lightning still flashed all around me.
The thunder was deafening to my ears. I struggled against the wet
wind to reach the barn. I knew I'd find an answer to all of this
once I got to the barn. It seemed to be taking forever to get
there. My flip-flops were soaking up the water from puddles like
two sponges. My feet felt heavy now. Some of the puddles held water
that was ankle deep. How long had it been storming? There hadn’t
been a cloud in the sky earlier. I remembered the stars being out
when I'd returned from the track. Things could change in a moment’s
notice. Nothing was predictable. I needed to find Trey. Something
had to be terribly wrong.

I finally managed to make
it to the horse barn. I was drenched, my robe and my long silk
nightgown clung to my body. I shivered as I pulled the heavy door
open and entered the stable. Once inside, I frantically looked
around as rivulets of water dripped from my hair onto my face. The
stalls were empty. The doors to the stable were closed. There was
no way they could have left the barn with the doors shut, unless
someone had deliberately let them out. My God, was Trey out there
now, trying to get them rounded up and back into the
barn?

I raced down the aisle, my
soaked flip-flops squeaking with every step. Every stall was empty.
This had to have been done on purpose. There was no other possible
explanation. Just then I heard a noise from behind me. It was Trey.
Thank God! He was completely dry; I wasn’t sure how he'd managed to
stay dry in the torrential storm.

“
Tylar,” he said angrily,
“what are you doing out in this storm? Look at you, you're soaked.”
He grabbed one of the horse blankets that hung outside a stall. He
handed it to me, instructing me to start drying myself off while he
went to get more. He was back in an instant with several more
blankets. He laid one out on a pile of straw over in the corner by
the door to the tack room.

“
Here,” he coaxed softly,
“come over here where it's more comfortable.” I did as he
instructed. "Tylar we have to get these wet clothes off of you.
You'll catch your death of cold.”

He left no room for
argument, untying my robe, and removing it from me. He peeled my
silk nightgown off followed by my panties. He gave me a blanket to
wrap myself in. I felt warm and safe once again.

“
How'd it get so cold
out?” I asked him. “You’re not even wet.” He didn’t answer me; he
just continued to rub the blanket against my skin to get my entire
body dry and warm. Finally my shivering stopped. I stretched out on
the blanketed straw. He gazed down at me with those gorgeous
sapphire eyes. I was dry, warm, and safe with Trey. I discarded the
blanket that had been wrapped around me. I wanted Trey to see me as
I was. His eyes perused every inch of my body. I saw the hunger in
his eyes.

“
What are you thinking?” I
asked feeling emboldened.

“
I’m thinking how good it
would feel to fuck you,” he said pointedly.

“
What’s stopping you,
then?” I was so bold now. He lowered himself down next to me. He
reached over and pulled me up into his lap. My legs straddled each
side of him. He pulled my face toward his, until our lips met in a
searing, hot kiss. I could feel his erection beneath his jeans and
reached for it, rubbing my hand against his jeans, feeling it
getting larger.

Suddenly he stopped. He
lifted me off of his lap and stood.

“
We can’t do this, Ty,” he
said abruptly. I'd never heard him call me Ty before.

“
Why not?”

“
I belong to someone
else." he said, walking away.

I was consumed with
humiliation and shame. What a fucking idiot I'd made of myself. I
was suddenly alone, sitting on a blanket, totally naked and
rejected. I stood up and wrapped the blanket around my body like a
bath towel. I found my soaked flip-flops and slipped them on. Rain
or not, I was going back to my cottage and, darkness or not, I was
leaving this place.

I stumbled past the door
to the tack room. There was a small window in the door, and I could
see that Trey wasn't alone. Did I want to know who was in there
with him? Did I want to know who he'd left my cottage to meet? I
barreled through the door. Trey looked back at me then turned his
attention back to the woman standing there in front of him. It was
my mother! She looked over at me and smiled. “Hey baby
girl.”

“
Mom!” I shrieked,
horrified. “What are you doing here?”

“
Well now what do you
think, baby girl?” she purred.

Mom looked at me as Trey
stepped in front of her. She had the necklace and pearl drop
earrings on. They were in this together! She wrapped her arms
around his neck, pulling his handsome face down to hers. She kissed
him long and passionately.

“
Pay attention baby girl,”
she instructed. “I’m going to show you something that you’ve never
managed to learn after all of these years. I’m going to show you
how to please a man.”

She dropped to her knees
in front of Trey. I heard the sound of his zipper being lowered. I
saw my mom tug at him and I heard her soft moans as she began her
sensual rhythm of sucking and loving his beautiful cock.

“
No!” I screamed. “Stop
it, stop it now! Can’t you see what she's doing? Why are you
letting her use you to hurt me? Why? Why do you want to hurt me? I
can do those things! I can be what she is!”

Trey’s face was suddenly
right in front of mine. He looked angry. I'd really pissed him off
this time. Maybe he was still angry with me racing Jezebel. He
started shaking me roughly.

“
I promise I won’t ride
anymore. Just stop, please. Trey please just stop…”

“
Tylar!” He was screaming
now.

He had my face cupped in
his hands. His hands were wet as they gently rubbed my face. The
room was light. The electricity had come back on. My window A/C
unit was humming again; the air was cool. There was no more
lightning and thunder.

“
Did the rain stop?” I
asked. “Why are your hands wet?”

I realized then that my
face had tears running down both cheeks. His hands were wet from my
tears. He looked so alarmed.

“
Tylar you had me scared
shitless!” He was beside me on the bed, pulling me out from under
my covers, onto his lap. He was cradling me on his lap, rocking
back and forth. “What did she do to you Tylar? Tell me for the love
of God, what'd she do to you?”

I awoke and saw the sun
streaming in through my bedroom window. My window A/C unit hummed.
I stretched languidly and realized that Trey’s arm was wrapped
around my waist. I foggily remembered a tumultuous dream; I was
glad he was here. He'd slept next to me all night with his arms
around me. My mind turned to the break-in and confusion of the
night before. I glanced over to my dresser and the two blue velvet
boxes were still there, quite real. The reality of the jewelry
wasn't part of the nightmare, that puzzle still required
solving.